Lachie's hat

Sun, 2013-01-06 02:20 — St James

Hi guys. I'm new, but I've been following this blog for a while. I've come back to knitting after a 30 year break and WOW, aren't things different these days. Men's knitting groups on line, Ravelry, pictures of everything, help everywhere, not to mention circular needles! And the yarns are astonishing compared to the 70s/80s.

The trigger for my return to knitting was my first grandchild, who of course is adorable. I live in Perth, Western Australia and my son's family with Lachie the grandchild live in Christchurch, New Zealand. For those of you who dont' know, Christchurch = lots of need for woollens, Perth = not so much need for woollens. I was wondering what patterns in light weight fabrics you all think are good for warmer climes, like light weight cardigans / sweaters / tops. And what yarns might work well.

The photo is of a grumpy looking Lachie in her hat. It is a Woolly Wormhead freebie pattern, Tri-peak. Lachie is around 19 months, and she loves the hat. Mainly I suspect because she is into dressing / undressing herself and this hat has a rolled edge which she can grab onto easily with her chubby little hands.

Comments

Welcome Clinton
Your granddaughter looks adorable in that hat. You did a nice job on it, and kids love bright colors. A few months ago I happened upon the Caron Simply Soft line of yarns. The yarn it acrylic but certainly doesn't feel like it. My mom requested a shrug this year to wear in Florida and she loves the weight of the yarn. It is dense enough to keep the cold air from the air conditioners from hitting her shoulders and upper arms. My wife's blood runs hot, but she also wanted a light-weight 3/4 sleeve sweater for the winter months here in Chicago. Again, Caron yarn did the trick.

I have other friends for whom I knit things for newborns and use either superwash merino wool or the Caron acrylic. Both wash and dry beautifully. I think for little ones, who will outgrow things in a blink of an eye, the expense of natural fiber yarns just doesn't make a lot of sense...unless they plan on having more kiddos and then pass things down the line. My mom did that with 4 kids. Thankfully, I was the second born, so I got things without too many holes in them. Ha!

Again, welcome to the group. There is so much more available than back in the 70s and 80s...before the Internet. The fact that groups like this exist and are maintained is quite a testament to the effectiveness of global communication. Of course, the puppy and cat videos on Youtube are pretty fun too.

Thanks for your warm welcome Mark. I've never heard of Caron yarn, so I presume it is a USA brand. I am mostly getting my yard from USA so I'll have a look. I certainly agree about using machine washable yarn. My daughter is able to dress a doll in one of her cardigans now, LOL!

Wonderful hat and beautiful granddaughter. As for patterns for warmer climes look to things that are not ribbed or have less full fabrics. Lace is great for women's but not so much for guys. And they're are many bamboo blends that drape beautifully but have less of a warmth factor.

I hadn't thought about ribbing being a warmer fabric but it is a lot denser I suppose. I didn't know that bamboo is less warm. That is worth trying out as I haven't knitted anything with bamboo. I can cope with cotton despite it not being as springy as wool, so bamboo is worth a try.

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